Partner Frances Lynch will be speaking next week in Maui about bicycle collision cases to the Western Trial Lawyers Association. Riding a bike can be fun and one of the best forms of exercise but when a collision occurs, it can result in serious injury and death. Almost all serious bicycle collisions involving autos are right-of-way violations where a motor vehicle fails to yield to the slower bicycle. Cyclists are not always the easiest to spot and

Pima County sponsors a number of different bike safety classes including classes designed specifically for children and university students. All classes are conducted by L.A.B. League cycling instructors, and free bike safety items such as helmets, bike lights, and u-locks are often included with participation. See the schedule for Bike Safety Classes.

The Pima County Department of Transportation’s (PCDOT) Bicycle & Pedestrian Program will offer mountain bike classes, mechanics, women’s mechanics, and Bicycle Information for Kid’s Education classes. Instructors certified through the League of American Bicyclists will lead the courses, most of which are limited in space. Call 724-BIKE (2453) to find out more about the classes and to sign up. Participants must bring their own bikes. The following is the class schedule, provided by the PCDOT:

As many of you know, over the weekend one of our attorneys was involved in a major bicycle wreck. The good news is that he is home recovering. He was riding in a pace line at close to 25 mph. As the group approached a controlled intersection, the first rider in the pace line stopped for a yellow/red light, and our favorite cyclist went over the handle bars landing on his head and left shoulder. He destroyed the

Once again, there is tragedy in the Tucson community. A 64 year-old bicyclist was struck and killed this morning. The man was riding his bicycle north on Mission Road and was in the middle of the intersection when a car traveling east on Irvington Road hit him and fled the scene, Deputy Jesus Bañuelos, of the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, said. It is Arizona law that a motorist MUST stop in any collision with injuries, regardless of

A woman who suffered a traumatic brain injury when she crashed her bicycle on the newly installed streetcar tracks has filed a claim against the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA). Attorneys for Angel Welch sent notice of her personal injury claim to the RTA and city-owned Sun Tran transit service earlier this year, saying they’ll settle for $3 million. State law requires claims to be noticed within 180 days for a specific amount (which needs

It turns out you CAN make a difference in Arizona when it comes to makes roads safer. Several weeks ago, one of our partners, Frances Lynch, wrote an email to the person at Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) in charge of the maintenance for the area of Oracle Road at Catalina State Park. That intersection had been a major hazard for bicycles. As anyone who cycles in Tucson knows, there are many cyclists coming in and out of

As the streetcar construction continues, so do the closing of intersections. For the week of May 21, 2012, several roadways will be closed to vehicular and bicycle traffic. Pedestrian access will remain open at all times, and cyclists are reminded that they must walk their bikes while using the sidewalks. Over the Memorial Day weekend, repairs and replacement of a sewer line that extends across Broadway between Church and Stone Avenues will begin, which will

More and more Arizona bicyclists are putting add-on gas or electric motors that allow their bikes to reach legal speeds of up to 20 mph on city streets. The appeal behind these bikes are that riders don’t need a license, registration or insurance to operate a motorized scooter, and building this type of bike is significantly cheaper than operating a car (gas, insurance, registration, etc.) or even riding the bus. In 2011, there were 89,000

Editor’s note: Kenneth Lenger sent along this account on an incident that occurred on Old Spanish Trail last Wednesday. He said they didn’t call the police because they weren’t sure what jurisdiction they were in. He considered stopping into a police station nearby, but eventually decided against it. I think as cyclists we need to make sure we report things like this. If it were to happen again it would illustrate a pattern and it

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